Interior designer renovates home show

A bigger, better show that is less expensive for exhibitors is part of the master plan for a revised Powell River Home and Garden show this year.

In the wake of the cancelled home show presented by Evergreen Exhibitions, Leah Rourke, owner of Relish Interiors, has taken a lead role in organizing a new show slated for May 10 and 11 at Hap Parker Arena, Powell River Recreation Complex.

Rourke has seen the show from the inside out as an exhibitor and has now undertaken to organize and promote it on her own.

Its all what you make of it, Rourke said. As a new business owner the home show was an excellent opportunity to meet thousands of pre-qualified potential clients and to grow my business. I planned a sale to run through the week of the show and those were some of my biggest revenue months to date.

The turnout for previous years was estimated by organizers at around 8,000 people over the weekend. Its an excellent opportunity to connect, she said. I still have clients today that I met at the first show.

Rourke stressed that exhibitors need to get creative in how they market for the show. Just hanging a shingle out will not necessarily net the best results, she said. Its important to plan for the event to benefit most. Rourke explained that having a Facebook page isnt enough to drive small business. Getting out and meeting people is a key part of building relationships in the community, building on existing relationships and roping in new customers.

Of 52 exhibitors at the last home show, Rourke said 30 of them were from out of town. She plans on focusing more on local business at this years event. We will develop a presence of local businesses at the show rather than an overabundance of those from out of town. Were not excluding out-of-town businesses but we want to make sure local businesses are well represented.

Proposed changes this year are bigger booths that are less expensive, a possible contest challenging students to build something out of recycled material that would relate to home and garden, and a $5,000 home makeover giveaway. It will be free for those who attend the show, Rourke explained for anyone interested in the giveaway. Five businesses will each donate $1,000 to the makeover and somebody will win it after the weekend.

There will also be the Valley Building Supplies stage where workshops and demonstrations will be ongoing throughout the weekend. Planet Cleve will be running a concession on-site, and Rourke is trying to organize an indoor garden with seating where people can sit down and grab a bite to eat.

We are looking to bring some new creative changes to the show, change that will reflect the changing needs in the marketplaceboth from the consumer perspective and from the view of the business owner, she said. We are looking to engage our audience here and bring in more attendance from the community.

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Interior designer renovates home show